WHITE HOUSE

Gibbs to Leave White House Post

A replacement for Robert Gibbs as White House press secretary could be announced soon.(Richard A. Bloom)

Updated at 12:16 p.m. on January 5.

The exodus is continuing at the White House: White House press secretary Robert Gibbs will leave the podium in February, an administration official tells National Journal.

Gibbs told the New York Times that he will become an outside political adviser and work on President Obama's reelection campaign.

"Stepping back will take some adjusting. But at the same time, I have a feeling that I will keep myself quite busy, not just with speaking, but continuing to help the president," Gibbs told the Times.

An announcement of the next press secretary could come as early as next week as the White House undergoes a staffing transition. Earlier this week, reports surfaced that Obama is considering candidates to be his chief of staff, replacing Pete Rouse.

ADVERTISEMENT

Gibbs has been at the helm of the president's communications efforts since his inauguration. He has been a longtime adviser to president, dating back to before Obama was elected to the Senate in 2004.

There is regularly high turnover at the press secretary position at the White House -- rarely does a spokesperson keep the job for more than two years -- and the midterm elections provide a natural segue.

Contrary to earlier reports, Gibbs told the Times that he will not launch a consulting firm. He will, however, work out of the same D.C. office that fellow Obama adviser David Plouffe used for the past two years. Plouffe will join the White House team as an adviser in the coming weeks.